Sen. Ben Nelson and Holograms

Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, has caused some trouble in the
past for his occasional opposition to big pieces of legislation. But his
opposition to a recent measure, which would have limited ATM fees to no
more then 50 cents, was a bit unusual. His apparently unprompted
defense was even odder: "I know about the holograms."

"I've never used an ATM, so I don't know what the fees are," Nelson
said, adding that he gets his cash from bank tellers, just not automatic
ones. "It's true, I don't know how to use one."

"But I could learn
how to do it just like I've ... I swipe to get my own gas, buy
groceries. I know about the holograms."

By "holograms," Nelson
clarified that he meant the bar codes on products read by automatic
scanners in the checkout lanes at stores such as Lowe's and Menard's.

Quips
Salon's Alex Pareene, "That's Ben Nelson, U.S. senator and
grown-up. He knows about the
holograms."